AL CALLOWAY SAYS: Fearful people, what are we doing?

As the four horsemen of the black apocalypse — fear, ignorance, inertia and a psychology of dependency — draw ever near and destruction is imminent, we see only dust from their horses and we are blind to the ensuing reality.

Preachers teach “keep the faith” and “put your trust in God, He will see you through.” But for some reason, what seems to stick is “God helps those who help themselves,” as initial thought about the Almighty fosters a theology wrapped around that comforting logic.

Fear and a psychology of dependency are the bookends that bind black people. Blacks have been taught to fear God, yet love God, to fear their parents, especially fathers, yet love them. How do you mix fear and love? How do you mix oil and water? It was slavery that instilled fear of the white man in black people.

Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, who in the early 1960s said, “the Negro loves the white man because he gives him nothing,” has starkly provided what happened to the black psyche since slavery. Because of the Trans-Atlantic African slave trade and colonialism, people of African descent throughout the world became dependents of, and dependent upon, the white man.

The Industrial Revolution, in which blacks participated primarily as slaves and low-wage labor, is long gone. In its place are high technology and a global economy. Manufacturing is transported to parts of the world where labor is cheaper and profits are higher.

Therefore, the expanded former slave population is now obsolete. There is no further need for the vast majority of black people in Western or so-called white societies. But because of ignorance and inertia, blacks throughout the Diaspora, especially the “intelligentsia,” are confused, irrational, ill prepared and docile — and not necessarily in that order.

It is widely reported that only nine of every 100 black youth in America get a college education. The rest are lost, thrown into the abyss by their families, churches and communities, as a result of ignorance. And what of those few who get a college education? Do they return mis-educated? Are they geared and nurtured in areas of their natural proclivities? Do they have a futuristic worldview?

And, most importantly, do black college students know who they are, their African history before slavery and the challenges relative to the Diaspora?

On Nov. 6, 2012, general election day in the United States of America, white nationalism, like a mythical fire-breathing giant dragon, will spew its red-hot hate and fear across this nation in a last-ditch effort to wrest the White House from President Barack H. Obama.

If white nationalists succeed in overthrowing American governance via non-democratic processes, namely voter suppression and big money on Election Day, it will be, in large part, because the Obama base refused to organize from the bottom up as he has continually exhorted them to do.

Not surprisingly, it has so far been the perennial inertia —or sloth— of black so-called leaders, including black elected officials, civil rights groups, churches, Greek letter organizations, ad infinitum, that are doing little or nothing to combat and overcome voter suppression laws in 34 states. The result of this lack of effort will vastly decrease the number of black votes.

To compensate for the impending loss of black votes —and, possibly some Latino votes, as well —Obama threw his support to the same-sex marriage issue to garner gay, lesbian and transgender support.

If you truly understand the psychology of dependency, then you are aware that blacks get funding from downtown interests —the oligarchs— who want Obama out of the White House. Therefore, black elected officials and other interests in black communities are caught in a Catch 22 situation, unable to lead black voter turnout and unable to “dis” their white sponsors. There it is again: The Politics of Containment.

There will be no full-blown voting rights organization in black communities across America unless you and I, the people, take the bull by the horns. And, we will have to notify our black officials everywhere that they must pay the price for the lack of accountability to their black constituencies.

Because, if we don’t, my people, what are we doing?

Al Calloway is a long-time journalist who began his career with the Atlanta Inquirer during the early 1960s civil rights struggle. He may be reached at Al_Calloway@verizon.net